Do you still need a tripod in this day and age? It may seem like a silly question to ask, but please, humor us — and UK-based travel and adventure photographer James Popsys. Since most cameras in the recent years come with impressive low light capabilities, this may actually be a fair question. Can you really get away with handholding your camera at slow shutter speeds? If so, how do you get the best results out of it?
The short answer to the main question is, it depends. In the video above, Popsys — who hates tripods — briefly talks about which shooting situations you can go without a tripod, and when you absolutely need to use one. A good example of the latter is when you’re shooting a landscape photo that needs to be absolutely tack sharp. Another is when you want to include yourself in the frame to give a sense of scale in the scene.
However, he also suggests figuring out if your technique or result that you want to get is achievable to shoot handheld with a slower shutter speed. If you do decide to go handheld, he also threw in some tips on how you can make sure you’re as stable as possible.
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